Nail or spike



E. E. ROBERTS 2,222,338

NAIL 0R SPIKE Nov. 19, 1940..

Filed Sept. 20, 1938.

3mm ERVIN E. RoB RTs I I 5 W 3 MW E 9% 6 Ji 2 .Ji

7 f fla w Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

The present invention relates to nails and spikes or the like, and more particularly to nails or spikes adapted to lock after being driven home. I

5 The present invention aims to provide a nail or spike which is readily driven home and lockedto prevent accidental removal thereoi.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved nail or spike of the above type which m is simple and inexpensive and can be readily manufactured 'in large quantities.

Another object of the invention is to provide a nail r spike having shank portions normally adjacent each other and adapted to be ,spread m apart when the spike is driven home.

Another object of the invention is to provide a nail or spike having rupturable means for normally holding the shank portions together.

Another object of the invention is to provide 20 a nail or spike having cam portions for urging the shank portions apart after being driven home.

Another object of the invention is to provide a nail or spike with outwardly projecting stop 25 portions adjacent its head adapted to facilitate breaking the rupturabie means and urging'the shank portions apart.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The. invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination oi elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplifled in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will 35 be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing; 1

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a nail or spike partly driven home, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention; v

0 Fig. '2 is a sectional view of the nail or spike shown in Fig. 1 after being driven home and locked;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of the nail or spike shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and

I Fig. 4 is an elevational view, illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing and more particu larly to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a wooden railroad tie T, a tie plate I? for supporting a 50 rail, and a spike S for holding the flange F of the rail downwardly.

The spike comprises a head Ill which may be circular or oval and a bifurcated shank having shank portions i l and i2 integral with and de- 66 pending from the head. The shank portion Ii preferably is longer than the shank portion l2 and has an enlarged portion or abutment I 4 at its free end which may terminate in a tapered or pointed portion l5 adapted to facilitate driving the spike home. The shorter shank portion l2 5 preferably lies adjacent the shank portion ll throughout a major portion of its length and may be held against the shank II by a shear pin I! or the like formed of material adapted to break upon relative movement of the shank porl tions. If desired the shank portions may be so constructed that they have a tendency to spread apart'but can be readily held together by riveting or otherwise securing the pin thereto. The exterior surface of the spike preferably is substantially smooth so that it will not impede the progress of a spike when driven home.

In order to facilitate spreading the shank portions, they may be provided with suitable cooperating cam means. For example such cam 90 means may comprise an upwardly and inwardly tapered cam portion ill on the enlarged part it of the shank portion'l I and an upwardly and inwardly tapered cam portion at the free end of the shank portion ll adapted to abut the cam portion l9. When the shank portions are moved relatively with respect to each other in a longitudinal direction, the cam portions I 9 and 20 are eflectlve to spread the shank portions II and i2 outwardly with respect to each other. The cam portions also are effective to facilitate breaking the pin I! or other means utilized for holding the shank portions together.

Relative movement of the shank portions may be facilitated by ofisetting the shank portions H and I! with respect to the head. For example, the shorter shank portion I2 may extend downwardly from the head at one side thereof while the other shank portion i I may be connected to the other side of the head by an oflset portion 2| adapted for engaging the flange F of the rail. The oilset portion 2| is spaced from the underside of the head and the upper end of the shank portion l2 to provide a recess or aperture 22 which extends towardsone side of the head and enables'the head to move slightly downwardly to permit relative movement of the shank portions.

To drive the spike home, the side of the head above the oflset portion ii is struck to direct the major force of the blows upon the longer shank portion II and force the pointed end l5 thereof into the tie. To facilitate guiding the workman in striking the spike at its proper side, the upper surface IQ of the head may be tapered jectioh or stop 24 (Fig. 3) is provided at each side adjacent the lower part of the offset portion- 2|. upper surface of tie plate (Fig. 2) to stop downward. movement of the spike into the tie and properly space the head portion 2| from the flange of the rail.

The stop portions 24 also serve to facilitate anchoring the shank portions of the spike. For example, when the spike has been driven into the tie, as shown in Fig. 2 the stops 24 prevent downward movement of-the shank portion ll whereby further blows on the head are effective to force the shorter shank portion relatively downwardly. A sharp blow struck on the side of the head above the shank l2 will cause the cams l9 and 20 to spread the shank portions apart and fracture the pin H. J

Another feature of the invention is to rigidly hold the tie plate against the tie. This may be accomplished by providing the sides of the spike, adjacent and below the stops 24, with upwardly diverging tapered portions i3 adapted to be wedged into the spike receiving aperture l8 of the tie plate. To facilitate forcing the spike into the tie plate without breakage of the spike or plate, the upper portion of the shank portion H may be provided with a slot or aperture 23 adapted to permit the tapered spike portions l3 to yield inwardly. The wedging action of the upper portion of the spike just prior to be driven home also serves to slow up the downward movement of the spike into the tie which warns the work-- man that the stops 24 are about to engage the tie plate. The workman then will not strike the head with a force capable of breaking the stops contacting the tie plate.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 4 wherein a nail N or the like is shownhaving a head 25 and a pair of bifurcated shank portions 26 and 21. .The shank portion 26 is longer than'the shank portion 21 and has a barb or book shaped portion 28 adapted to engage the free end of the shank portion 21. Preferably the hook shaped portion 28 has an inwardly and upwardly inclined cam face 29 and an upwardly and outwardly inclined cam face 30 for receiving correspondingly shaped cam faces Siand 32, respectively, on the lower end of the shank portion 21. By constructing the nail in this manner the cam faces 29 and 38 serve to spread the shank portions and shear the barb like end 33 of the hook shaped portion to facili tate further spreading of the shank portions. Normally, the faces 30 and 32 serve to hold the shank portions together.

The upper end of the shank portion 28 may be provided with an outwardly projecting portion 35 adjacent and underneath the head adapted to check movement of the nail when almost driven home. The side of the head adjacent and above the shank portion 21 may then be struck sharply to cause the cooperating faces to shear or break the end 33 of the hook shaped These stops are adapted to engage theportion. The projecting portion 85 in this manner serves to hold the head out of the material into which it is driven to permit a sharp blow-t cause the barb to break. Thereafter the nail may be struck again to embed the projection 35 and the head. I

In order to remove the spike or nail after it has been locked, the head I0 (Figs. land 2) or .25 (Fig. 4) is provided at the side above the locked shank portion l2 or 21, respectively, with a projecting portion 38 adapted to be engaged by a crow bar, claw of a hammer, or other suitable tool. By prying the projecting portion upwardly the shorter shank portion 12 or 21 is pulled upwardly first and is moved inwardly towards the shank portion H or 26, respectively, to unlock the spike or nail and permit it to be pulled upwardly. Easy removal of the spikes is particularly desirable when they are used for securing rails to ties because the ties must be replaced from time to time.

The spikes embodying the present improvements may be of any suitable material, for example, cast iron, and may be readily madeby suitable casting and finishing operations which are relatively inexpensive and do not require special; machinery. Where these improvements are applied to nails or the like, the nails may be made bysuitable forging or stamping operations. This enables the nails and spikes to be produced in large quantities without any material increase in cost over nails or spikes 0f the usual type.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the present invention provides improved nails or spikes which can be readily locked against accidental removal. The spikes are particularly adapted for holding down rails which are subjected to heavy loads without any danger of the spikes being dislodged even after prolonged use of the rails. This makes the tracks safer and eliminates the necessity of frequent repair and inpection. The spikes or nails can be economically manufactured and can be driven home by unskilled laborers. The cam means are eifective to spread the spikes in every instance, thus insuring proper anchoring of the spikes into the ties. Due to the effectiveness ferent embodiments of thisinvention could be made without departing from the scope thereof,

it isintended that all matter contained in the above description or shown.- in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language Y used in the folowing claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all'statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A one-piece nail or spike comprising a head,

a pair of shank portions depending from thehead and adapted to lie adjacent each other throughout a major portion of their length, one

of said shank portions being longer than the other and having an enlarged part adjacent its end provided with an inclined face against which the end of said other shank portion may abut and cause said shank portions to spread apart when a blow is struck on the the head adjacent said short shank, and a breakable pin for normally holding'said shank portions together.

2. A one-piece nail or spike comprising a head, and a pair of shank portions depending from the head, one of said shank portions being longer than the other and having a portion at its end against which the end of said other shank portion is adapted to abut, one of said shank portions having outwardly extending projections below and adjacent said head and a recess intermediate said projections. v

3. A nail or spike comprising a head, a pair of shank portions depending from said head and eccentrically disposed with respect to said head and normally lying adjacent each other throughout a major portion of their length, said shank portions having a recess intermediate thereto adjacent said head, said recess extending towards one side of said head, one of said shank portions being longer than the other and having an enlarged part at the free end terminating in a tapered portion, upwardly facing cooperating cam means on the enlarged part of said longer shank portion and on the end of said other shank portion adapted to spread said shank portions apart, said longer shank portions having outwardly extending stop." adjacent and below said head and a slot intermediate said stops, and.a pin adjacent said cam means for normally holding said shank portions together.

4. A nail or spike comprising a head, a pair of shank portions depending from said head, one of said shank portions being longer than the other, said longer shank portion having an outwardly and upwardly facing cam portion ading breakable portion provided with an upwardly and inwardly facing portion, said shorter shank portion having at its end a downwardly and inwardly facing cam portion adapted to cooperate with said upwardly and outwardly facing cam portion to spread said shank portions apart and having a downwardly and outwardly facing portion positioned to engage said upwardly and inwardly face portion and adapted to break said breakable portion of said longer shank portion.

5. A spike comprising a relatively fiat striking head and abody depending from the head and lying wholly within theperiphery of the head, said body comprising a pair of shanks normally lying in abutting relationship for a major part of their length, one of said shanks depend ing vertically from its point of connection to the head and the other shank being connected to the head by an offset portion extending laterally from the shank and outwardly from the other shank and secured to the under side of the head at a point spaced from the other shank to provide an opening between the shanks underlying the central portion of the head, said offset portion being adapted to limit the downward movement of the shank connected thereto when the spike has been driven a predetermined amount, one of said shanks being of greater length than the other and having a portion underlying the shorter shank to form a substantial continuation thereof, and camming means pro-' vided on said shanks above the said underlying portion of said longer shank for spreading said shanks apart when the downward movement of the shank having the offset portion is limited. ERVIN E. ROBERTS. 

